Love Many Things, For Therein Lies The True Strength

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“Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.” — Vincent Van Gogh.

Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890) is one of the world’s most famous artists – yet he only achieved fame after his death. During his lifetime he was often so poor that he was forced to pawn his paintings in order not to starve – which is highly ironic considering that his paintings in modern times are known to fetch over 50 million dollars. Despite a very troubled life he produced more than 2,100 artworks in just over 10 years – including 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolors, drawings, sketches and prints. After years of anxiety and frequent bouts of mental illness, he is thought to have taken his own life but the exact circumstances of his death remain somewhat unclear.

Much of what is known about the mind of Van Gogh is derived from a collection of over 600 letters between him and his younger brother, art dealer Theo van Gogh. Theo did what he could to support his brother both financially and emotionally and was his lifelong friend even through the hardest of times.